But in the anomalous condition of affairs under
the American occupation, they exercised almost unlimited powers. They
were, in fact, regarded as magistrates elected by the people for the
sake of preserving public order and settling disputes of all kinds.
In my own case, and with the approval of the community, I took
jurisdiction of every case brought before me. I knew nothing of
Mexican laws; did not pretend to know anything of them; but I knew
that the people had elected me to act as a magistrate and looked to
me for the preservation of order and the settlement of disputes; and
I did my best that they should not be disappointed. I let it be known
that my election had been approved by the highest authority.
The first case I tried was in the street. Two men came up to me, one
of them leading a horse. He said, "Mr. Alcalde, we both claim this
horse, and we want you to decide which of us is entitled to it." I
turned to the man who had the horse, administered an oath to him, and
then examined him as to where he got the horse, of whom and when,
whether he had a bill of sale, whether there was any mark or brand on
the animal, and, in short, put all those questions which would
naturally be asked in such a case to elicit the truth. I then
administered an oath to the other man and put him through a similar
examination, paying careful attention to what each said.
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